Editorial Standards & Corrections Policy

SalarySteps explains its calculation assumptions, cites government sources, and tests representative results. Estimates can differ from payroll withholding and individual tax returns.

1. Source hierarchy & fact-checking

We evaluate financial data strictly using a three-tier primary source hierarchy:

1. Tier 1 (Primary Statutory Material): Statutes enacted by Congress, official Revenue Procedures published by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), statutory bulletins from the Social Security Administration (SSA), and federal regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
2. Tier 2 (Official State Tax Agency Publications): State department of revenue withholding instructions, statutory tax brackets, and official state supplemental withholding guidelines.
3. Tier 3 (Authoritative Secondary Guidance): Authoritative industry documentation and court rulings, used only when statutory sources require clarification on practical implementation.

Government publications take priority when a secondary explanation conflicts with an official source.

2. How we test calculations

Every calculator is checked against worked examples, tax bracket transitions and wage caps before it is published. Calculations run in your browser, so your numbers are never sent to us.

3. Statutory update schedules

Federal and state tax codes evolve annually. We monitor the following release schedules:

• October/November: IRS annual inflation adjustments (Revenue Procedures updating income brackets and standard deductions) and SSA COLA releases (updating the Social Security taxable wage base).
• December/January: State Department of Revenue updates to standard deductions, withholding schedules, and state minimum wages.
• Immediate Updates: Changes to statutory sources require review, updated assumptions, and testing before publication.

4. Corrections policy & workflow

Transparency requires prompt and accountable error correction. If you believe a calculation, tax parameter, or editorial explanation is inaccurate, please submit a correction report to contact@pullmesh.com.

Please include:

• The exact page URL
• The input parameters used
• The result received vs. the result expected
• The authoritative primary source (e.g. IRS publication or state revenue schedule) supporting the correction

We review correction reports against the cited source. When an error is verified, we immediately update the reference constants, re-test the affected calculators, publish the fix, and document the change in our update log.